Pastor's Pen

October 2017 EditionFrom the Pastor's Pen Fires, Hurricanes, Earthquakes, and Wars Matthew 24:3-8. “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Well, it happened again. We had fires burning out west, the first major hurricanes in a decade hit our nation, several major earthquakes around the world, and the continuing escalation of hostilities and rhetoric in North Korea. Then, right on cue, someone comes out of the woodwork to predict that Jesus is returning, or their understanding of the rapture is happening, or the world is ending on September 23rd. Sadly, it seems like all such false teachers have to take at least two shots at this, so now he is saying that October 15th will be the day. I guarantee that he will be wrong again! Sadly, church history has many examples of such false prophets and false teachings. The Jehovah's Witnesses trace their history back to a false promise of Christ's return in 1914. More recently, there was Harold Camping's predictions of May 21st 2011, and then October 21st 2011, that the world would end. In March of 2012, Camping repented, acknowledging that his attempt to date Christ second coming had been sinful and wrong, and that his opponents who had pointed to Matthew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only,” had been right. But for many, the damage had already been done. The world mocked Christianity, and was hardened in their unbelief. Some families that had been faithful beforehand, turned away jaded and disappointed with the church. And a thriving Biblical Radio ministry, that had encouraged many good things, was decimated. Now here we go again, with another set of predictions. So, I'm left with two questions. 1.How do we understand natural disasters. 2. How do we respond to those who proclaim to know the day and the time? First, let us recognize that natural disasters such as fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards, and all others, are nothing new. These all find their origin in the fall, as this present world was marred by sin. Such disasters and disorder are all consequences of mankind separating themselves from God. We recognize that there are now “natural” patterns, and cyclical forces at work in the ebb and flow of such disasters. At times they do seems to increase. One reason for this is our technology for spotting them, as we are seeing more than we once did (I recently heard of a tropical storm that formed for one day, received a name, and then fell apart, that would have never been spotted ten or twenty years ago). Also, with technology and communication, we see the effects of such disasters in live streamed videos, and can be notified within minutes of any disaster around the globe. So are there more and worse such disasters? Some days it feels like it, but it is hard to say. Jesus promised that such tragedies are going to continue, right up until His return, but these are just the birth pains, that will usher in the restoration of all things. Second, Christians need to brush up on their Bible 101, and publicly speak out against anyone that tries to put a date on Christ's return and the end of this world. They are ignoring the teaching of Matthew 24:36, and are damaging our witness to the world. So be firm. When a coworker asks about the end of the world, tell them that you eagerly expect Christ return, but completely reject the predicted day (whoever comes up with it). But, let us keep a Biblical sense of urgency about the situation. We deny these dates, but we do anticipate Christ return. And, none of us has a guarantee on any of our days. A woman is not in labor for ever, and once the child is born, there is no going back.In Christ,​Pastor Lloyd